The Riff Raff Podcast

What's the first thing you think of when it comes to sales? For me, it's every BAD sales person I've had to deal with. From car sales to timeshares to cell phone plans - I've dealt with some doozies. The problem when you are the one selling is that everybody you meet has had the same run-ins. Snakeoil techniques. Schmoozing. Telling you what you want to hear. Blech. I think I just threw up a little in my mouth just from remembering ...

But it doesn't have to be that way. If you're in business you need to remember to learn everything you can about the right way so no one is thinking of you the way you think of those other guys. Your business depends on it.

Today on Wise Word Wednesdays, I'm chatting up The Little Red Book of Selling by Jeffrey Gitomer. This is actually the first book I've EVER read on sales and (pun intended), I'm sold. It's practical. Applicable. Easy to understand and even easier to use for your business.

Give it a listen. I promise no snakes were harmed in the making of this podcast ;)

Say. Act. Do.

It's that simple. Congruency is our topic today in the 6 Principles of Influence. What does that mean? In the simplest of terms and the easiest of explanations is that if you want to convey and build trust, you have to be consistent in everything you do.

For example - if you make an appointment with someone, taking up their valuable time, to make a pitch and you show up late or don't show up at all - what do you think that says? It says that you don't actually value the time or person that you've arranged to meet. By showing up late, you are stating that you aren't to be trusted to deliver. By not showing up at all? Heck - I wouldn't leave my dog with you.

We all understand that life happens and you could run late but once it becomes a pattern of behaviour, you are acting incongruent to what you are hoping to establish. Trust.

It comes down to this: do what you say and say what you do. For example, if you are faking being involved in a conversation just to get a sale, your body language will betray you. You will also give off the old "bad vibes" that the person you are hoping to sell to will pick up. They will have a prickly, uncomfortable feeling that will immediately put them on guard and that, my friend, means the trust is gone.

Take a listen to Sneaky Shit and learn about principle #1, how to apply it, how to watch for it and how being your authentic self is the most congruent way to be.

Has it been one of those years for you? Or couple of years? When you're an entrepreneur it can feel like you've survived a year vs celebrating the beginning of another. Especially at a time of year where reflection and goal setting is forced upon us. But as an entrepreneur maybe it's worth taking another look at the value of reflection. Maybe that needs to be a goal for the whole year.

Why the girly title of this podcast? It's actually not as girly as I probably think but I'll clarify anyway. When you start a business, you have NO idea of the power of the up's and down's. NO idea how hard it will be some days (or months) to dig in and keep going. And for a woman, I can honestly say it's a bit harder. Despite progress, being a woman entrepreneur is still considered an oddity so we start with an extra handicap. Boobs have their bonuses but they can still be a hindrance to more than our golf swing ;)

This week on Get to Know Me, I share the importance of finding a way to recognize and remember your achievements so that when you hit the lows (and you will), you have something you can look at and say, "Well, it might suck right now but then? Then it was completely f*ing awesome and it will be again!" And that, my friends, is what finding your sparkle is all about.

If you're in business, you're going to need help. As much as we'd all like to be able to solve our problems ourselves, we can't do it all. And we shouldn't. The worst thing you can do for your business is labor under the delusion that you've got all the answers to all the questions. From me to you: get over yourself. You don't. Nobody does.

Sounds ballsy right? Well this week during our Ballsy Women in Business meeting we covered so many great topics that I can't help but admire the women who joined us and asked the questions. Why? Because admitting you don't know something or need help can be hard. Believe me - I wrote the book on not asking for help. And it has the same ending as anyone else who writes a similar book. I got over myself and asked for help and lived happily ever after.

Well, not quite. That would be why Ballsy exists. Because we all need times during our business' iteration to address the new situations, questions and problems that crop up.

Take a listen and find out the topics we covered and some answers that members are applying to their business!

When you are dealing with a mental health issue, trying to navigate the healthcare system can be stressful. Heck - it's stressful no matter what. Once you are in the system, one of the keys to success for your treatment is developing trust with your health care team. That can put you in a tricky position to provide honest feedback that is positive or negative. Imagine an app that can help you solve that problem. Well, it's here.

Meet Dr. Gillian Mulvale who is working with her team at the DeGroote School of Business in the Health Leadership Academy to develop the MyExperience app. This app has been specifically designed to allow patients to provide feedback on their experience within the mental health field. Honest, constructive and valuable, this feedback will allow practitioners to develop and improve the services they are providing. Something they've wanted for a long time.

Interested in learning more about this great breakthrough for the mental health community? I was too. Take a listen and you'll see why1

Return on investment. That's the key for most business people but when you are building a business, keeping the ROI in line with the PITA is key to success. Why? Well, sometimes social media can have a high PITA factor with low ROI. Before you think we're talking about sandwiches and dietary advice, I mean the pain in the ass factor. For some businesses, I recommend you lower the PITA factor by NOT using social media for your business.

Yep. A consultant just said don't use my services please.

Why? Because there are so many ways to negatively impact your business by screwing up your online presence that if you can't afford someone to help you or do it for you, then DON'T.

That's not to say that you CAN'T. You absolutely can. But the time it will take to teach yourself the ins and outs of the social media platforms and tools, the creation of a content calendar and the way to engage contributes to the PITA factor exponentially and reduces your ROI more than businesses sometimes realize.

Take a listen and find out if your business should be on social media, if you might need some help short term and when you should just say no to tweeting, posting or liking.

Has there ever been a time where you've made a decision to buy something or work with someone based on the opinion of others? Have you noticed that when someone does you a favor or provides a freebie you feel obligated to help them out next time? Maybe you've noticed that someone has a lot in common with you and when it's suggested you work on a project together, the decision is easy.

All of these scenarios fall under the 6 Principles of Influence. But as we all know, influence can be used for good and for not so good intentions. Why is this important to know? Because being manipulated to our detriment can negatively impact our personal life and business while using the principles of influence in a positive way can open doors.

Learn how to spot when social influence is being used to sell you that latest fad cream or how to use it to help you get a new client. Get wise to the give and take of reciprocity and how you might not be getting the best deal with that freebie. Does someone have an unusual amount of things in common with you even though you've just met? It might be more than Kismet at work.

Join us for the Sneaky Shit series to learn about the good, the bad and to get smarter about the way being influential and being influenced doesn't have to be sneaky at all.

I hope that all businesses try to keep their corporate social responsibility plan to of mind all year. For such a long title, I sometimes wonder if creating a CSR plan is more a tool to look good than actually do good. Cynical? Maybe. But once you chat with Monica Graves, you'll see what putting your money where your jewels are really means.

Cancer is another cause where I think people can lose focus on how to actually support the families that are affected by this nefarious disease. In my case? My father had it. My grandfather, 2 uncles and grandmother in law died of it. My sister in law has battled and won. Even I've had 2 cancer scares that shows me I'm not immune. How did I cope? I was lucky and just dealt. I didn't have kids to feed or bills to pay that were going to be affected by my diagnosis.

Today's podcast is about how to give back. Personally. Professionally. Entrepreneurially. Take that CSR and put it to work rather than paying it lip service. 3 Little Wishes is one of the many ways that Monica makes sure glamjulz is not only giving women a reason to show their sparkle, she's also showing a community how they can care and support families whose sparkle might need a little help.

How is it possible that one book can contain so many seemingly disparate items?

Happiness + business + science + motivation + action items + inspiration

It's insane.

Yet that's exactly what Shawn Achor manages to do in his 2010 book The Happiness Advantage. For a research geek like me, who isn't a huge fan of talking about feelings, this book was like divine intervention. Science backed recommendations on how to be happier? Jackpot!

Shawn Achor provides corporate and personal narratives that allow anyone to relate to the mind blowing idea that are brains are capable of change and that change can include being happier. Why is this important? Other than the obvious (really? You don't want to be happier?), the book clearly demonstrates the impact on productivity, creativity, relationship building, health and achieving success.

That last one is the biggest myth busted of all. Success will not make you happier. Happier will make you successful. Let that sink in for a minute and then give a listen. I'm about to make you VERY happy ;)

I think there is a very thin line between eccentric and eclectic. Both refer to the possibility of seemingly unrelated ideas coming together in ways people might not have considered before. Stepping over the line from eclectic to eccentric? Well that's when you try to put peanut butter and tuna fish together. Not a great idea.

The benefits of being described as or acting like either eccentric or eclectic has its benefits and drawbacks. For me, the benefits are many. Having eclectic tastes allows me to talk to just about anybody at events and put together ideas that seem random to some. Until we talk about it further and they have the inevitable a-ha. Eccentric? That means I don't mind taking on weird challenges, fit right in with odd teams and seldom object to doing something out of the ordinary that most might run from.

Interested in learning more about the benefits? Listen on, Macduff. Listen on ...